The hottest thing in tea: Tea-Infused Cocktails

The tea craze continues to flourish

Today’s millennials are making tea their go-to beverage. According to World Tea News, in a forecast by Packaged Facts, “The foodservice tea market will likely have an edge in future growth momentum as sales are expected to increase through 2018 and beyond.”1

Millennials are seeking innovation and variety when it comes to current tea offerings.

The growing interest in health and wellness as well as the demand for transparently simple, whole food offerings continue to drive interest in tea.

Innovations, underpinned by a great tasting, healthful product, means that tea will continue to grow in the U.S.

Give teatime a whole new twist

New versions of tea-infused alcoholic beverage specialties have opened an entirely new, young market. One of the simplest ways to bring innovative flavors to tea-infused cocktails is beginning with tropical-flavored teas like Tropical Temptation™ Teas from Red Diamond® Coffee & Tea. These exotic flavored teas are artfully crafted to integrate the hottest trending island-inspired flavors with the crisp, clear taste of premium tea. They begin with the finest of Orange Pekoe and Pekoe cut black teas or elegant green teas and combine them with sun-drenched flavors such as sweet apricot, pink grapefruit, passion fruit, toasted coconut, blackberry and mango. The variety of offerings inspires innovative pairings with a variety of spirits for alcoholic and nonalcoholic concoctions to set your establishment apart.

How to craft your tea-infused creation

Pairing spirits with tea is a matter of finding flavor complements. Gin blends well with fruit-flavored teas because both have floral, herbaceous, botanical qualities. Consider for example the Green Tea Gimlet, an on-trend favorite at bars across the country. When it comes to whiskey and other dark spirits, they tend to pair better with roasted teas. The Sweet Tea Bourbon Cocktail combines black tea and bourbon with oranges and mint for refreshing Southern charm.

When it comes to pairing tea and alcohol, keep in mind the difference between your shaken (citrusy, refreshing, effervescent drinks) and stirred (silky, dense, booze-driven cocktails with almost all alcoholic ingredients.) Remember, tea is astringent, and in that sense can work almost like bitters, but you’ll have far better luck with tea in the base spirit of a sour, with plenty of acid and sugar to round out and cut the tannic edge of the tea. Also, proof in the spirit works like water temperature. You’ll get more intense flavor steeping into a base spirit than you will a lower-proof wine, vermouth or liqueur.

Whether you like your tea mixed into a punch, brewed in the liquor or shaken with a concentrate, there are a variety of ways to raise the bar giving your drinks a tea twist.

Click here to learn some simple ways to use and infuse exotic flavored teas into your next top shelf success stories.